Suction cleaner construction



Nov. 22, 1955 Filed Nov. 13, 1950 W. A. HUMPHREY SUCTION CLEANER CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TOR. Mazren H. Hump/2 re Zi'ruM ATTORNEY.

Nov. 22, 1955 w. A. HUMPHREY SUCTION CLEANER CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 13, 1950 INVENTOB. Warren fiflum ohzgy Y ATTORNEY.

United States Patent SUCTION CLEANER CONSTRUCTION Warren A. Humphrey, North Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, at corporation of Ohio Application November 13, 1950, Serial No. 195,409

7 Claims. (Cl. 15--350) This invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to an improved mode of constructing the same.

The invention has particular application to cleaners of the type in which the suction unit pivots with the propelling handle and provides a simple, rugged and highly efficient bearing structure of novel design for this unit. In prior constructions employing a pivoted suction unit, large diameter bearings have been utilized at the opposite ends of the suction unit and it has been necessary to conduct the suction air stream through one or both of these bearings. These bearings must be designed to carry both the thrust and radial loads imposed thereon by rough usage of the cleaner and special precautions must be taken to exclude the dirt and grit carried in the dirty air stream passing through the bearings. These are difficult requirements to satisfy except by resort to complex and costly constructions.

The present invention provides a simple low cost construction employing trunnion bearings located entirely outside the agitator belt passage and the dirty air stream passage for pivotally supporting the suction unit and the integral handle and filter assembly. These trunnions are shaped to extend around the exterior of the suction and belt passages and are supported at their widely spaced ends in simple, small diameter bearings attached to the cleaner body. The rotary joints between the ends of the passages and the suction unit are sealed by resilient packing material which is eminently satisfactory to maintain an excellent air seal despite wide variations in the manufacturing tolerances between the relatively moving parts of the suction unit and the cleaner body. Moreover, the presence of dirt and grit in this packing is of no particular consequence and can be easily corrected periodically by replacing the inexpensive packing material.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and inexpensive cleaner.

Another object is the provision of a suction cleaner having a suction unit pivotally supported on the cleaner body in a novel manner. More specifically, the invention contemplates the use of trunnion bearings for the suction unit which are located entirely outside the suction air passage and in alignment with the axis of the suction unit.

Still another object is the provision of a unitary suction unit, propelling handle and filter assembly for a suction cleaner having trunnion bearings located outside the suction air stream and in alignment with a rotary seal between the suction unit and the cleaner body.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification of an illustrative embodiment and the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan of a suction cleaner incorporating the invention with parts broken away to better The invention is shown as incorporated in a suction cleaner of thefloor type having a main body casting 10 of a U configuration. The suction nozzle 11 extends across the forward end or bight portion of the U, while inverted channel shaped side members 12 and 13 extend rearwardly from either end of the nozzle and form the legs of the U. A pair of rear wheels 14, 14 are suitably mounted under the rear end of side members 12 and 13. Likewise, a pair of larger, wider diameter carrier wheels 15, 15 are rotatably supported on the skirt of side members 12 and 13 just rearwardlyof the back wall of suction nozzle 11. A furniture guard of rubber or other resilient material 16 extends across the front of nozzle 11 and along the sides and rear end of the main body in accordance with standard practice.

The suction unit of the cleaner comprises a unitary assembly 17 housing an electric motor, not shown in detail, which is directly coupled to a radial blade fan 18. Suction unit 17 has a generally cylindrical casing which extends substantially the width of the space between the adjacent opposed edges of the main body side members 12 and 13. An exhaust air conduit 19 extends tangentially from the fan chamber and terminates in a flanged outlet 20 to which the filter assembly generally indicated at 21 is removably connected as by thumbnuts 22, 22. Filter assembly 21 includes the usual filter bag 23 or, if desired, an internal paper filter bag, not shown, and a surrounding appearance bag. The usual propelling handle 24- is detachably mounted in a handle socket 25 integral with the suction unit and overlying air discharge conduit 19. The outer end of filter assembly 21 is attached to the upper end of the handle in a well known manner. Consequently, it will be clear that the propelling handle and the filter assembly are rigidly attached to suction unit 17 and pivot therewith as the cleaner is propelled over the floor. The manner in which this entire assembly is pivotally supported on the cleaner body will now be described.

By reference to Figure 1, it will be seen that the opposite ends of the suction unit are provided with annular flanges 26 and 27 which are telescopically received within the circular rear ends of a suction air passage 28 and a belt passage 29. Passages 28 and 29 are formed in the main cleaner body 10 and comprise generally rectangular passages in cross section having a removable bottom cover plate. The forward end of passage 28 flares transversely of the cleaner and opens through the back wall of the suction nozzle 11, as clearly indicated in Figure 1. Passage 29 also opens through the back wall of the nozzle.

The open lower sides of passages 28 and 29 are formed by a unitary cover plate generally indicated at 30. This cover plate includes a strip 31 extending the full width of the cleaner and so located that its lower surface forms the rear nozzle lip. One rearward extension 32 of the cover overlies the open lower side of suction passage 28 and includes a pair of side skirts 33, 33 which project upwardly from the rear end of the cover directly opposite annular flange 26 and have a length somewhat greater than the diameter of this flange. The uppermost edge 34 of skirts 33 terminates in a substantially horizontal plane traversing the axis of suction unit 17, as clearly appears from Figure 2. A second similarly formed extension 35 of the cover plate underlies the open lower side of belt passage 29 and its rear end is provided with upwardly projecting skirts identical in purpose and construction with skirts 33, 33 on extension 32. The forward end of cover plate 30 is secured to the cleaner body by screws 36, 36, while a second pair of screws 37, 37 serves to secure the rear ends of extensions 32 and 35 to the cleaner body. A packing gasket 38 may be glued around the periphery of cover 30 so as to form an air tight seal between the cover plate and the main casting. Annular sages 28 and 29 are spaced radially from 'flanges 26, 27 of' the suction unit and cooperate therewith to house a packing ring 40, 40 of felting or the like which may be impregnated with oil or other material to insure a good air seal.

Attention is called to the fact that the air tight rotary joint between the opposite sides of suction unit 17 and passages 28 and 29 does not serve as a bearing or as a means of supporting the load of the suction unit and the propelling handle. On the contrary, this joint serves only as a rotary seal. Consequently, considerable variation in the tolerances of the metallic portions of the seal is permissible since the sealing function is performed by the resilient packing rings 40, 40, all four sides of which fit snugly in the space between annular flanges 26 and 29 and 27 and 39.

It is also to be noted that flange 26 of the suction unit ,forms the fan eye as the communication between passage 28 and the fan chamber. The oppositeend of the suction unit carries a smaller diameter flange 41 which supports the outer bearing 42 for the driving motor and belt pulley 43. An endless rubber belt 44 interconnects pulley 43 and the usual rotary agitator 45 supported in the mouth of the suction nozzle 11 in the customary manner.

The sole load carrying connection between the suction unit and the cleaner body comprises a pair of trunnions rigidly secured to the opposite sides of the suction unit exteriorly of passages 28 and 29 in such manner that the unit pivots about an axis in common with thefan and the driving motor therefor. These trunnions comprise a pair of arcuate brackets 46, 46 having their inner, flanged ends 47, 47 rigidly securedto the opposite sides of the suction unit as by rivets 48. The outer ends of brackets 46 support outwardly projecting stub shafts 49, 49 which are journaled in bearing brackets 50, 50 re movably supported on the under side of the cleaner body by screws 51. As clearly appears from Figure l, the axis of stub shafts 49 is in alignment with the axis of pulley 43 and of the rotary elements of suction unit 17 and with the axis of annular flanges 26, 27. As is clearly evident from Figure 2, the forward edges of brackets 46, 46 are so positioned. with respect to the top and bottom Walls of passages 28 and 29 so as to permit the suction unit and the propelling handle to rotate through a 90 are between the horizontal and vertical storage positions of the handle. Thus, the arcuate extent of the brackets and of flange 47 thereof is approximately 150, which provides a very strong support between the suction unit and the brackets.

Overlying the body of the cleaner is an appearance hood 52 which may be formed of molded plastic material. This hood is generally U-shaped so as to straddle the suction unit. An opening 53 in its forward wall serves to direct light rays from an electric luminating lamp 54 onto the floor in front of nozzle 11. This opening may be closed by a transparent lens or left open for the passage of cooling air for the lamp and the driving motor.

The novel trunnion structure and pivotal support for the suction unit provided by the present invention has many advantages. For example, the construction provides an extremely broad base pivotal support for the handle and the elements attached thereto, thereby eliminating side play between the handle and the body. It is also manifest that the actual load carrying bearings provided by shafts 49 and bearing brackets d are unusually simple, rugged and inexpensive. Furthermore, lubrication of these bearings is readily accomplished and they are not subject to excess wear from dirt and grit as they would be if exposed to the suction air stream as they are in constructions heretofore proposed. Another advant ge is the :fact that my invention makes use of an extremely simple but highly effective rotary seal between thesuction unit and the cleaner body. This sealis so designed that considerable variations in manufacturing 4 tolerances are permissible without affecting the effectiveness of the air seal.

Assembly or disassembly is accomplished easily and expeditiously by turning the cleaner over on its top and removing cover screws 36 and 37, and by removing screws 51 holding the trunnion bearings in place. The entire suction unit and handle assembly may then be lifted from the cleaner body for inspection and servicing. Reassembly is carried out with equal facility by performing the same operations in reverse order.

While I have shown but a single modification of my invention it is to be understood that this modification is to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the particular structure shown and described but to include all equivalent variations thereof except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A suction cleaner having a motor-fan unit mounted thereon having an axis extending horizontally crosswise of said cleaner, said motor-fan unit comprising, an electric motor, a fan mounted on the shaft of said motor, a fan chamber enclosing said fan having a discharge passage leading therefrom and an inlet opening in alignment with said motor shaft, means for pivotally supporting said motor-fan unit on said cleaner for limited rotary movement about the axis of said motor shaft, said pivotal support for said motor-fan unit including a pair of bearings spaced laterallyfrom the opposite sides of said unit and in alignment with said motor shaft, and a pair of trunnion brackets, said brackets being arranged on opposite sides of said motor-fan unit and each having one end attached to said unit at a point spaced radially of the axis of said motor shaft and the other end including a trunnion rotatably supported in one of said bearings, and means for isolating said trunnions and bearings from the air flowing to the inlet opening of said fan chamber.

2. A suction cleaner as defined in claim 1 including an elongated handle rigidly secured to said motor-fan unit and extending in a direction generally perpendicular to said motor shaft, and a dirt filtering assembly having the inlet end thereof connected to said air discharge passage and extending closely parallel to said handle whereby said handle, filtering assembly and motor-fan unit pivot together about said trunnion supporting bearings.

3. A suction cleaner having a main body provided with a suction nozzle across the forward end thereof, a pair of spaced apart passages formed in said body extending rearwardly from said nozzle and terminating in aligned openings facing each other and located in vertical planes, a horizontal axis suction unit supported between said openings having a shaft extending into one of said passages, a rotary agitator in said suction nozzle, a driving belt extending between said agitator and said shaft to drive said agitator and being enclosed by said one passage, the other of said passages forming a suction air passage leading into said suction unit, and trunnion means secured to the opposite sides of said suction unit and including bearings mounted on said cleaner body outwardly of the exterior sides of said passages and in alignment with the axis of said suction unit.

4. A suction cleaner as defined in claim 3 wherein said passages are provided with a removable access cover, and resilient means cooperating with the junction edges of said air inlet to said fan chamber and with the edges of the aligned openings in said passages to form arotary air seal between said suction unit and the discharge end of said suction air passage.

5. A suction cleaner as defined in claim 4 wherein said cover forms the bottom wall of said passages and wherein said trunnion bearings are secured to the under side of the main body of said cleaner so as to be concealed thereby.

6. -In combination, a suction cleaner having -a body provided with a suction nozzle, a rotary agitator in said nozzle, 8. motor-fan unit having an air inlet opening in one end and a belt pulley projecting outwardly from the opposite end thereof, means forming a pair of passages extending from said nozzle to the opposite ends of said motor-fan unit, one of said passages forming a belt passageway and the other an air passage communicating with said air inlet opening, a belt between said pulley and said agitator for driving the latter, and means forming a pivotal support for the opposite ends of said motor-fan unit, said pivotal support means being located exteriorly of the outer walls of said pair of passages and in alignment with the axis of said motor-fan unit.

7. The combination defined in claim 6 including a propelling handle for said cleaner which is rigid with and pivots with said motor-fan unit about said pivotal support located exteriorly of said pair of passages.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,224,306 Lernp May 1, 1917 1,557,212 Lee Oct. 13, 1925 1,999,696 Kitto Apr. 30, 1935 2,133,741 Dow Oct. 18, 1938 2,250,282 Swann July 22, 1941 2,253,997 Becker Aug. 26, 1941 

